Dying

Conditions

A dying creature is unconscious and losing blood. It has negative hit points and is racing toward death — every round without aid brings it closer to the end.

Effects

  • The creature is unconscious and cannot take any actions.
  • At the start of each of its turns, it must make a DC 10 Constitution check:
    • Success: the creature stabilizes (see Stable).
    • Failure: loses 1 hit point.
  • If hit points reach a negative amount equal to its Constitution score (e.g., –14 for a CON 14 creature), the creature dies.

Stabilizing a Dying Creature

  • Magical healing of any amount immediately stabilizes the creature and brings it to the healed HP total — if this is 1 or more, it is no longer dying.
  • An adjacent creature can spend a standard action to attempt a DC 15 Heal check to stabilize the dying creature without a roll.
  • A dying creature that stabilizes on its own (via Constitution check) becomes stable but remains unconscious.
The Constitution check is not a saving throw. It cannot be improved by Luck bonuses to saves, and it is not subject to effects that boost saving throws. Only Constitution score and related bonuses apply.

The HP Death Chain

Disabled (0 HP) Dying (–1 to –Con HP) Stable Dead (–Con HP)

Related Conditions

  • Stable — the condition a dying creature transitions to upon stabilization; still unconscious but no longer losing HP.
  • Unconscious — a dying creature is also unconscious; all unconscious effects apply.
  • Dead — the result of reaching negative HP equal to Constitution score.
  • Disabled — precedes dying; a creature at exactly 0 HP is disabled, not dying.

Common Sources

Any damage that reduces a creature below 0 HP. A disabled creature that takes a strenuous action or is dealt any damage drops to dying immediately. Creatures with the Diehard feat can act while dying, treating themselves as disabled instead of dying as long as their HP remain above –Con.